The look of terror on Bei Ye's face intensified, and his legs trembled uncontrollably.
"No--!"
In a flash, his legs were gripped by what appeared to be human hands, and he was pulled into the mud, disappearing in an instant.
Xu Yuehuai knew that Bei Ye might not live if he went there. She wanted to chase after him, but Bai Yu blocked her way.
"Don't stop me, I have to save him!" Xu Yuehuai tried to break free from Bai Yu's protection.
Bai Yushen put his arm around her shoulder and said calmly, "You stay in a safe place, I'll go find her."
He felt that his duty was to protect Xu Yuehuai, not to put her in danger.
Xu Yuehuai wanted to try again, but Bai Yu's figure had already disappeared into the night like a ghost, leaving only the words "Trust me" echoing in the air.
She gazed in the direction Bai Yu had left, her heart filled with mixed emotions—worry about Bei Ye's safety, and admiration for Bai Yu's courage.
In the end, she gritted her teeth and decided to do as Bai Yu instructed. However, instead of staying where she was, she quietly left the shelter, found a tall tree, and nimbly climbed up it.
Up in the tree, Xu Yuehuai carefully observed the surrounding movements under the cover of branches and leaves.
The night was as dark as ink, shrouded in miasma, making everything appear hazy and eerie. She gripped the dagger tightly, ready to face any potential danger. However, apart from the occasional growl of a wild beast and the rustling of leaves in the wind, nothing unusual occurred around her.
Time ticked by, and Xu Yuehuai's heart was filled with anxiety and unease. She couldn't help but doubt her decision, wondering if it had been too impulsive, or if she should have listened to Bai Yu's arrangements and waited patiently.
But whenever this thought crossed her mind, she would immediately suppress it, because she firmly believed that Bai Yu would never break his promise since he had promised to save Bai Yu.
Just as she was lost in thought, a faint sound caught her attention. She held her breath, her gaze sharpening as she stared intently at the source of the sound. In the miasma not far away, something seemed to be moving slowly; its outline looked somewhat familiar.
The slowly emerging outline, as the miasma gradually dissipated, revealed a strange resemblance to the "human head" aura that Bei Ye had mentioned before disappearing.
That thing is probably very dangerous. Luckily, she was in the tree and saw it getting closer.
Fine beads of sweat seeped from her palms, and the hilt of the dagger became slippery from her grip due to tension, almost slipping out of her hand. Her heart pounded like a drum in her chest, as if it were about to break free of its restraints.
Just as she was about to quietly move to a safer location, a chilling gust of wind suddenly pierced through the miasma, carrying a nauseating stench similar to rot, and rushed towards her.
Xu Yuehuai involuntarily shivered. Then, a low and twisted wail clearly entered her ears. The sound was sinister and terrifying, as if it came from the underworld, making people's hair stand on end and their spines turn cold.
"Bai Yu, are you alright?" she whispered anxiously in the darkness, but only a deathly silence and the approaching miasma responded. She realized that staying in the tree was tantamount to suicide.
Using the branches as cover, Xu Yuehuai cautiously retreated towards safety, each step feeling like walking on thin cotton, unstable and fraught with danger.
But as she moved further away from that dangerous place, the surrounding scenery became increasingly eerie. The trees seemed to come alive, their branches twisting into all sorts of strange shapes, swaying gently in the miasma, as if whispering, or perhaps mocking her helplessness.
The eerie green light that occasionally flashed through the miasma, like will-o'-the-wisps, illuminated a deep swamp ahead.
"Why is there a deep mud pit blocking our way? I didn't see it marked on the map!"
"Could there be something wrong with the map?"
Xu Yuehuai stood at the edge of the mud pit, staring at the pitch-black, bottomless abyss, and a strong sense of unease suddenly arose in his heart.
She slowly dipped one foot into the mud, the icy touch instantly assaulting her entire body. The sticky mud felt incredibly heavy, forcing her to grit her teeth and use all her strength to barely keep her footing.
However, in the blink of an eye, a powerful force suddenly burst forth from the mud, violently dragging her body downwards!
Xu Yuehuai exclaimed in surprise, instinctively swinging the dagger in her hand forward, but only managed to cut through the viscous liquid on the surface of the mud, splashing up a spray of black water.
She knew she was in dire straits, so she quickly adjusted her breathing, focused her mind, and tried to find a glimmer of hope in her despair.
"Ugh..." But the more she struggled, the deeper she sank, until she was almost completely buried in the mud.
Is she really going to die here like this?
Silently, without anyone knowing?
Even if the body rots and smells terrible, no one will know!
She didn't want to die such a miserable death, absolutely not!
"boom!"
In the instant she was about to lose her breath, her mind was incredibly clear, a string in her head suddenly tightened, and a powerful force came from her palm.
That was the amulet she always carried that came in handy at the crucial moment!
A faint light flowed across the amulet, as if a mysterious power was protecting her from the erosion of the mud.
Xu Yuehuai quickly realized that she had regained control of her body. Using this strength, she kicked her feet hard and leaped upwards with the force of the reaction.
At the same time, she plunged the dagger in her hand into a dark spot of light deep in the mud!
"Whoosh!" As the dagger plunged into the mud, a gush of warm, thick liquid gushed out, seemingly accompanied by a sobbing sound.
In the next instant, Xu Yuehuai broke free from the mud and returned to solid ground.
She was still catching her breath when she immediately looked around, searching for Bai Yu and Bei Ye. However, apart from the miasma and those eerie trees, she saw nothing.
A heavy worry welled up in her heart; she didn't know if Bai Yu and Bei Ye had also met with misfortune. But she knew now was not the time for self-pity; she had to pull herself together and continue searching for them.
Just as she finished cleaning the mud off her face, a familiar voice pierced through the miasma. She looked in the direction of the voice and saw Bai Yu's figure appearing and disappearing in the miasma, rushing towards her.
"Xiaoyue! Are you alright?" Bai Yu asked anxiously as soon as he reached Xu Yuehuai.
Xu Yuehuai waved to indicate that she was alright, then asked, "Where is Bei Ye? Have you found him?"
Bai Yu looked somewhat embarrassed: "I couldn't find him. When I chased after him, he was pulled into a puddle of mud. I noticed that the mud seemed to be alive and could move. As I chased, I came here and ran into you. That thing behind you is probably the mud puddle that swallowed Bei Ye."
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